Issue - meetings

Paula Ridgway reported that the working group had agreed that rather than running a large competition for a number of Key Stages it would be a more effective use of resources if a single Key Stage was focused on initially.  The elimination of Key Stage 3 Tests from the school calendar meant that this cohort was less pressured than other Key Stages and the working group had been agreed that any competition would be focused on Key Stage 3.

A draft entry pack, containing a covering sheet, letter to head teachers and an entry form, was circulated for comment and the following points were noted:

·         The focus of the competition would be the question ‘How might Religious Education promote harmony in our community?’

·         Letters publicising the competition would be sent to schools in the week commencing 12 January 2009 and the deadline for submission of entries would be 1 May 2009

·         The Resource Centre would be the most appropriate place for entries to be sent to

·         The entries would be judged on their message not the quality of the work

·         It was expected that a variety of media would be used for entries and this would make capping the amount that schools spent difficult

·         The working group would need to give consideration to how entries might be publicly displayed once the competition had closed

·         The working group would need to give consideration to the make up of the judging panel

·         It was hoped that the competition would, if successful, become a regular event and a budget allocated

The SACRE agreed that a monetary prize of up to £250 would be awarded to the winning school and certificates would be awarded to the pupils who had submitted the winning entries.  Martin Surrell agreed to identify the cost of designing and printing 100 certificates.